Monday, June 12, 2006

Guantanamo: Kafkaesque, in a Good Way

A blogger who goes by the moniker Jon Swift nails the absurdity of our Guantanamo Bay prison. If we have good evidence against these prisoners, why don't we press charges? And if we don't, then why the hell are we keeping them locked up? And if they're just footsoldiers in a war, the time has long passed when anything valuable could come of doing anything other than just detaining them.

There used to be a time, not very long ago, where an enemy combatant knew that if he surrendered to the U.S.A., he'd be treated fairly and humanely. That's what set us apart from countries like North Vietnam. It's why the Germans knew they'd be better off being overrun by America and Britain instead of the Soviet Union. How much damage has George W. Bush done to America's reputation? I want my country back.

3 Comments:

And if they're just footsoldiers in a war, the time has long passed when anything valuable could come of doing anything other than just detaining them.

Agreed. So they will be detained until the war on terror is over, i.e., Islam has grown up and Muslim political culture is no longer genocidal and insane. I wouldn't hold my breath, but if you want to sign up for a war on God's behalf against the polytheists -- understand the stakes you are putting up.

There used to be a time, not very long ago, where an enemy combatant knew that if he surrendered to the U.S.A., he'd be treated fairly and humanely. That's what set us apart from countries like North Vietnam.

It still sets us apart from Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Syria -- i.e., the countries from which most jihadis come. Tell you what adambud ... you guarantee me there'll be no complaints from your crowd about "sending people to countries where they'll be tortured" (that horse already left the barn, BTW) and I'll support releasing them to their countries of origin. Deal?